CO NFISCATE 80 THOUSAND DOLLAR S WORTH OF MARIJUANA BEING GROWN AT A HOME IN HARDIN COUNTY W-L-K-Y'S ANNA-LYSA GAYLE WAS INVITED ALONG FOR THE BUST. SHE TAKES US INSIDE THE OPERATION TONIGHT... ANNA-LYSA? TODAY'S OPERATION HAD THE POTENTIAL TO BE DANGEROUS. THE DRUG TASK FORCE AND STATE POLICE HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WALKING INTO THE FIELD WHERE THEY SPOTTED THE MARIJUANA PLANTS, WHICH COULD SOMETIMES BE BOOBY TRAPPED. THE PLANTS WERE FIRST SPOTTED FROM A CHOPPER. WEARING CAMOUFLAGE AND ARMED WITH MACHETES, THE HARDIN COUNTY NARCOTICS TASK FORCE IS READY FOR THE WAR ON DRUGS. THEIR FIRST STOP, A HOME IN THE CITY OF WHITE MILLS. "Where they are starting to flower will turn into big buds and that's what the people are after." AS THE TASK FORCE WALKED THROUGH THE BUSHES NEAR THE CORN FIELDS, THEY FOUND MORE AND MORE MARIJUANA PLANTS GROWING. sot "You can see where this started in the cubes, then they transplant them outside." RON ECKART WITH THE GREATER HARDIN COUNTY NARCOTICS TASK FORCE SAYS MARIJUANA GROWERS CAN TYPICALLY MAKE 2- THOUSAND DOLLARS PER PLANT. THE MORE WE WALKED AROUND THE PROPERTY, IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF DRUGS SURROUNDING US. sot "It was 19 in the biggest plot and then and I think was 7 in this closest plot." "We've moved from one end of this property here on Buckles road, now investigators have found even more marijuana plants growing. Some back there in those corn fields and up here they've confiscated some that were growing inside pots." BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MARIJUANA PLANTS FOUND TO MORE THAN 40. LIEUTENANT JEREMY THOMPSO N WITH KENTUCKY STATE POLICE SAYS MORE MARIJUANA GROWERS ARE MOVING FROM EASTERN KENTUCKY TO THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN KENTUCKY REGIONS. "Central and Western Kentucky have not historically had the numbers of marijuana cultivators that you would see in Eastern Kentucky region." OFFICERS HOPE THE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF GROWING THE MARIJUANA PLANTS ON THIS PROPERTY WILL HELP IN FINDING OTHERS IN THE AREA. "Drugs are just a dredge of society and marijuana is, as much as some people want to legalize it, it's still an illegal drug and in the state of Kentucky and as long as it's illegal, we'll make every effort we can to eradicate it." IT IS CONSIDERED A FELONY TO GROW MORE THAN FIVE MARIJUANA PLANTS. THE SUSPECT COULD FACE BETWEEN ONE TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON. HE WILL FACE CHARGES INCLUDING CULTIVATION OF MARIJUANA OVER FIVE PLANTS AND POSSESION OF MARIJUANA FOR PERSONAL USE. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION REGARDING MARIJUANA GROWERS, CALL 270-769-0694 TO LEAVE AN ANONYMOUS TIP FOR THE HARDIN COUNTY NARCOTICS TASK FORCE. I'M ANNA-LYSA GAYLE W-L- K-Y NEWS. ARSON INVESTIGATORS